


So Far Away

by vampcoffeegyrl23



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-03-15 07:46:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3439262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampcoffeegyrl23/pseuds/vampcoffeegyrl23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elena goes to sleep in her dorm at Whitmore . . . and wakes up in a completely different world at the Salvatore Boarding house. Things are very different but not unrecognizable. She wakes up human and with a built-in family. Oh, and it seems there's no magic there either. So how does she get back to her world to her loved ones...does she even want to? What's going on in her world?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Make Believing While I'm Wide Awake

Author's Note: The title for the chapter comes from Gabrielle Aplin's Salvation and the story title from Staind's "So Far Away". I hope you enjoy this twisted, romantic, dramatic ride and let me know what you think.

Prologue: Make Believing While I'm Wide Awake

When she was a little girl, Elena used to dream of what her adult life would be. She'd graduate college, become a famous writer, do something to change the world for the better, make lots of friends, and . . . meet someone to share that world with and start a family.

In high school when she'd dated Matt he had goals for his future too . . . but he wanted to start all of that right away. She understood, in a way. His family life had never been ideal – no father, absent and neglectful mother, delinquent sister. It only made sense that he wanted to have a family of his own and do it the way he thought was right. It was honorable but . . . Elena just couldn't see herself in his equation of the future.

When she'd met Stefan she'd been in a very dark and complicated place. All sense of who she thought she was and what she thought she'd wanted were completely thrown out of the window when her parents died. Stefan was new, he seemed to understand some of what she was going through, and he actually made her feel like she could get back to who she was. Finding out he was a vampire changed a lot for her. It attracted her to him more because as a vampire he couldn't die. He'd literally live forever and he wouldn't leave her like her parents had. He protected her and made her feel safe.

She knows the way she remembers meeting Damon is wrong. She knows, logically in her head, that everything she knows, feels, and thinks about Damon is only a manipulated version of what the truth really is. She's read in her own words and in her own handwriting that she asked Alaric to compel away the truth because loving Damon when he was gone was killing her.

But now . . . Damon was here. He was back from the dead and right in front of her. He wasn't the Damon that her compelled memories remembered hating. He had a kindness and softness and caring and betrayal and pain in his eyes that she couldn't remember ever seeing before. As a person with a lot of compassion within her, she wasn't blind to the anguish in his eyes. She knew it was hurting him that she didn't remember their love.

But just because she could recognize the emotions in his eyes didn't make it any easier for her to identify with him. Her memories – however flawed at the moment – painted Damon as a manipulative, self-serving psychopath who'd only caused pain and heartache to the people she cared about. Trying to picture herself loving Damon at this moment was as ludicrous to her as picturing herself in love with Klaus or Silas or any other of the villains they'd gone up against. It just didn't fit.

. . . it was hard to deny, however, when her own words in her own journal from a version of herself she didn't remember were trying to convince her it was true too. And Damon hovering around her like a lost little puppy didn't help either. She'd tried to get her memories back by going over the no-magic border at the edge of Mystic Falls. She'd gotten flashes of memories but nothing concrete and nothing she could identify with. Just the beginning of her and Damon in the rain but he wouldn't tell her the rest of it. So . . . she was still stuck without her memories and a daily reminder in the form of Damon.

Being an adult was so much more complicated than she'd ever imagined as a child.

Did she wish she could go back and stop herself from compelling away the memories? Honestly . . . she really didn't know. She wished she could regret it – maybe it would make this easier. Did she wish she could be the woman that Damon had fought so hard to come back to? She didn't know that either. She didn't know anything and it was driving her insane.

Feeling tears leak from her eyes, Elena rolled over in her bed in the massive dorm room. She wiped them away furiously, sniffling as quietly as she could. Caroline was across the room in her own bed and Elena didn't want the blonde to know that anything was wrong. She didn't want to listen to Caroline rant – either for or against Damon actually. She just didn't have the energy for any of this anymore.

How was she supposed to figure out who she was and what (and who) she wanted when she didn't have all the pieces to the puzzle that was her life?

Sniffling again, she started to feel completely and utterly exhausted. As she drifted off, vague thoughts of confronting Damon tomorrow and trying to find the memories again crossed her mind. Maybe they'd find a way, a breakthrough – anything. Maybe she'd tell him off and never see him again – join a traveling circus as the freak who never aged and never scarred. She wasn't sure. Right now, though, it was time to work up her strength for the task that was ahead of her – whatever that may be.

TVD

She awoke to the faint sound of a blender and the smell of coffee. Hmm . . . had Caroline gone out and gotten them coffee? Wait a minute . . . they didn't have a blender in their dorm room. She sat up in her bed and opened her eyes. Whoa . . .

This was most definitely not the dorm room she shared with Caroline.

This was an actual bedroom – a master bedroom by the look of it. The bed she was on was a large king size (compared to the tiny twin size in her dorm room) and the sheets were black with a red and black comforter and red pillows. Across the room a few feet away from the bed was a large vanity. From what Elena could see from the bed, the makeup and jewelry and perfumes spread across it were all things she recognized as her own. She was startled to realize that this was the Salvatore Boarding House – Damon's room to be exact.

Looking down, she let out a gasp. Instead of the tank top and shorts she'd put on to sleep in the night before she wore just a large black button-down shirt. Raising the covers only confirmed this – her legs, bottom, and feet were bare.

What the . . .

Her eyes widened. What the hell was going on? Had she sleep-walked to the Boarding House in the middle of the night? But wait – there was a no magic border on the edge of Mystic Falls. She'd be long dead before she even got within six miles of the Boarding House. Hmm . . . this didn't feel like a dream (or nightmare) either. And since she was on vervain there was no way an Original or any other vampire could compel her either – not that regular vampires could compel other vampires anyway.

As she felt the sun on her face from the window across the room, she suddenly realized she wasn't wearing her daylight ring. Panicked, she dove under the covers. But . . . her skin wasn't smoking. She pushed the covers away and looked at her hands again. Nope, no daylight ring. There was a ring on one of her fingers, though – on her ring finger. A few of them, actually. In fact, she recognized them because they were her mother's engagement and wedding rings.

The only problem was . . . all of her mother's old clothes and jewelry had burned in her old house when she'd torched it after Jeremy died.

So how did the rings end up on her hand . . . and on the official "I'm hitched" finger yet?

Two things suddenly hit her: One, that she wasn't a vampire because the sun wasn't burning her. And two – she seemed to be married! The only question was . . . to whom?

Okay . . . something was definitely off here. She'd think that Damon was just trying to play a trick on her or something but since nobody knew how to take the no-magic barrier down . . . it wasn't likely he'd be able to fake the Boarding House. And since the cure for vampirism was long gone . . .

"Hun, I'd let you sleep longer but I have got to go so . . ."

She jumped, startled as the door to the bedroom opened and Damon stepped through. He looked . . . hmm. Not like Damon but . . . wait, what was he holding in his arms? He came further into the room and deposited his cargo on the bed in front of her.

"Hey, Lena . . . you okay?"

She blinked, still looking at what he put on the bed. She shook her head and looked up at him, eyes wide. "Um . . ."

"You know, you haven't been feeling good for a while babe. Maybe it's time to go in and get it checked out." Damon held the back of his hand against her forehead. "Hmm . . . you're not running a fever but you do look a little pale."

"I . . ." She gulped. "Y-You said you had to go?" She was purposely ignoring the little figure on the bed with her, hoping she was imagining it. Because if she wasn't . . . well, she just couldn't deal with that right now.

Damon stood up straight, buttoning his shirt which looked a lot like the one Elena seemed to have worn as pajamas. He let out a sigh. "Yeah . . . I have that interview today remember? So . . . the munchkin's all yours for a while." Elena froze – apparently she wasn't imagining it. "If you start to feel worse just call one of our many family members to come over and help. I shouldn't be gone but a couple of hours." He leaned down and kissed her the top of her head and said goodbye to "munchkin" and was out the door.

Elena looked down at the charge she was left with – oh god . . .

Said charge was a child that couldn't be much more than two or three. A little boy, it seemed – the spitting image of Damon with his dark hair. The only way Elena couldn't deny that he could be hers too was the slightly darker, olive skin. She swallowed . . . now she was really confused.

The little boy finally looked up at her, pulling his little hand out of his mouth. She gasped – the little guy was definitely Damon's with those bright blue eyes.

"Mum-mum-mum." The little boy mumbled, giggling as he looked up at Elena. She looked around before finally realizing the boy was calling her mom. Oh boy . . .

Could this really be some kind of dream – compelled or otherwise?

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

Caroline rolled over and yawned in her dorm bed. Another bright and shiny day – another long, agonizing day of trying to find a way to take down the barrier and figuring out why Stefan keeps pushing her away and acting like an ass. Oh, and let's not forget dealing with Elena's "I don't remember loving Damon" crisis. Life was so exhausting . . .

"Gah!"

Caroline jumped, sitting up in bed and ready to be on the offensive. It took a few moments to register that it had been Elena who'd screamed. She looked around the room for her roommate. "Elena?"

She found the other girl in the corner of the room, huddled up on the floor. Elena's knees were drawn to her chest and her head was burrowed into her knees.

"Elena, what's wrong?" Her senses picked it up before Elena could speak it – the sun was burning the dark-haired vampire.

"I'm burning, something's burning me!" Elena screamed.

Caroline used her vampire speed to lunge off the bed, pulling a blanket with her. She covered Elena entirely with it, shielding her from the sun. Then she vamp-sped to the windows and shut all of the curtains. Elena was still screaming when Caroline knelt down next to her and pulled the blanket off.

"No don't—" Elena squealed. She looked down at her arms. "But . . . but how . . ."

"Elena, why isn't your daylight ring working?" Caroline picked up her friend's hands – only to find that Elena's daylight ring was gone. "It's gone!"

"No! Where are my wedding rings?" Elena's face paled.

The two girls looked at each other as they realized what the other said. There was a moment where they were both silent, just staring at each other.

Caroline scrunched her face. "Wedding rings? Elena, you're not even married!"  
"I . . ." Elena looked around. "I'm so confused . . ."

"Elena, you're acting really strange . . ." Caroline let out a breath. What the hell was going on with her best friend?

"Wait, did you say daylight ring? What is . . . why would the sun burn me? What would that weird blue ring I took off have to do with anything?" Elena's chest started to heave as if she were having a panic attack. Vampires weren't supposed to have panic attacks – they didn't rely on breath to breathe. "How did you run so fast before? Wait, how did the burns on my arms and face already heal?"

Caroline just stared at her. Okay . . . something really freak was going on . . .

Elena sunk back further into the wall and swallowed. "I . . . I need Damon. Where is he? Why aren't I at home? D-Do . . ."

Caroline couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, what is wrong with you!?" She shouted, cutting Elena off.

Elena just drew her knees up further to her chest. "Care, something's wrong. I don't remember how I got here. I don't even . . . Caroline I don't even live here."

"Just . . ." Caroline let out a a breath. "Let me just make a phone call quick, okay?" Elena nodded, now rocking back and forth. Caroline grabbed her cell phone from the table next to her bed quickly dialed Damon's number.

"Blondie, are you aware of what time it is? It's way too early to deal with blonde annoying vampires after a long night of drinking. Hell . . . I think I'm still drunk."

"Well, then you better sober up because we've got a problem." Caroline rolled her eyes – she was annoying? Hmph . . .

"Ugh . . . what is it this time?" Damon groaned.

"You'll see when you get here. And . . . you might want to gather the rest of the gang on your way here. Well, maybe not everyone. That might be too much to deal with . . ." Caroline rambled.

"Caroline, what are you talking about?" Damon sighed. "Is Elena okay?"

"Just you and Alaric. I'd say bring your brother but he's probably too busy dumping his problems on somebody else and ditching." Caroline huffed.

"Got it – I think." Damon said. He may have sounded the slightest bit amused but it was hard to tell over the phone. Not that she found Stefan's shitty behavior amusing nor was Damon's mocking any better. "We'll be there shortly."

"Hurry up. I should probably warn you of what you're about to walk into . . . but I really have no clue how to explain it." Caroline told him. She ended the call and pocketed her cell. She looked up to find Elena on her bed again – staring at her daylight ring with tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm so confused." Elena sniffled, picking up the ring.

"Me too, Lena." Caroline sat down on her friend's bed across from her. Letting out a breath, she took the ring from Elena and put it back on her friend's finger. "You may not understand why, yet, but um . . . just keep this on. Okay?" Elena nodded but raised her eyebrow. "I made a call and . . . some people are coming that can hopefully help us figure this out."

"Did we go out last night? Is that why I don't remember how I got here?" Elena asked her.

"No . . ." Caroline told her. "What is the last thing you remember before you woke up?" Maybe this was some kind of side effect of Alaric's compulsion. Maybe she had her memories back but it was just confusing her.

Elena looked down at the bed, scrunching her face as if she were trying to remember. "Um . . . Damon and I were at the Boarding House, at home, and trying to get back to sleep."

Caroline sighed. How were they going to figure this out?

TVD

Damon and Alaric hurried through the campus dorm hall and burst in to Elena and Caroline's room. Elena jumped, flying back further on the bed. Damon immediately went straight for Elena. "What's going on?"

"Damon!" Elena flew at him, wrapping her arms around his arms and burying her head in his neck. She jumped up and wound her legs around his back. Damon, Caroline, and Alaric all stared at Elena and back and forth to each other. Elena wasn't exactly supposed to be all warm and fuzzy with Damon right now. In fact, she'd been downright ignoring him since he'd come back. Not that he minded the physical contact – he'd been aching to hold her since he'd come back – but the sudden change was kind of freaking him out.

"Guys, maybe we should talk over here for a minute . . ." Alaric suggested. Caroline and Damon nodded.

"Lena, you just stay here for a minute. Okay?" Damon unwrapped her arms from his neck and set her on her bed. "We'll be right over here." Elena looked confused but she nodded as they walked away.

Now over in the corner as far from Elena as they could, the other three just stared at each other. "Won't she hear us over here?" Damon said.

"Honestly . . ." Caroline shook her head. "Honestly I don't think she knows she has super-hearing right now."

The other two just stared at her. "What the hell does that mean?" Damon grunted.

"Guys, this isn't Elena. At least, I don't think she's our Elena." Caroline said. "She took off her daylight ring and didn't know why she was burning. She didn't remember going to bed here last night – I don't even think she knows she lives here. I think her being a vampire is heightening her panic – turning it into anxiety attacks or something." The other two were silent. "She asked about you, Damon." He raised his eyebrow. "She asked where you were and why you and she weren't at 'home.'"

"But . . . " Alaric ran his hands through her hair. "Do you think her memories came back?"

"That's what I thought too." Caroline said. "But that doesn't explain why she took off her ring."

"She does seem different . . . even from before I, well . . . left." Damon admitted.

"Oh . . . and she was freaking out because her 'wedding rings' were gone." Caroline told them. Damon and Alaric froze. Damon had thought about proposing to her a million times but . . . unless he'd blocked it out they weren't married. "Yeah, that was my reaction too."

"That's not our Elena." Damon's mouth formed a tight line. This wasn't his Elena – right now his Elena wanted nothing to do with him.

"That doesn't make any sense." Alaric said. "Then where's our Elena?"

"Good question." Damon said. "She's still Elena though, even if she's not ours."

"She seems really confused." Caroline said. "I don't even think she knows she's a vampire, let alone that they exist."

Damon let out a breath. "This could get complicated." He looked over at her where she sat on her – no, his Elena's bed. "We have to get her out of here before she figures that part out." Caroline and Alaric nodded. "She seems to trust me the most right now. I'll take her to the cemetery for now – less people around. You guys start trying to figure out what the hell is going on."

"Maybe Jo will have some insight." Alaric nodded.

"Pull my brother into this too." Damon said. Caroline scrunched her face but he ignored it – there wasn't time for relationship drama right now. If this wasn't his Elena . . . well, then they had to figure out a way to get her back. His chest tightened thinking of a million different dangerous scenarios to where she could be right now. Was she hurt? Was she alive? What was she going through?

He and Alaric went out into the hall while Caroline showed this Elena where her counterpart's clothes were. He couldn't believe that this was happening. How was it even possible? He'd thought coming back would make things easier – getting Elena back, getting away from crazy Kai. Nothing was easy though. Bonnie was dead, Elena compelled away her memories of him, and now . . . now she wasn't even herself. Where was his Elena?

To Be Continued . . .


	2. Chapter 1: Don't Feel Strong Enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: Okay here's the next chapter - sorry it's been so long. The chapter title comes from the hauntingly beautiful song "Broken" by Seether and Amy Lee. Hope you enjoy :)

Chapter One: Don’t Feel Strong Enough 

Three weeks into living out this suburbia role-playing nightmare and Elena was quite certain that she missed the supernatural foes that plagued her life. Oh, and she missed her indestructible, self-healing body and vampire strength and speed. Granted, she'd wanted to be human again from the moment she'd become a vampire but this –  
"Momma, no! Want cookie!!!!!"  
She was still confused about where she was or how she got there. This world was so similar and yet oh so different from the life she'd grown up with. She didn't know who to turn to yet with her predicament – did magic and the supernatural even exist in this world? Were these two boys in this house with her the only ones in this world? Or had she just gone insane?   
"Momma!"  
Oh, yes . . . besides not having anywhere to turn, she'd been quite busy since waking up in this strange world. There were certain roles she had to maintain and play the part in order to not give up her secret. "We have cookies after lunch – remember?" The pout of the lips, the sullen eyes – this little guy reminded her of her little brother sometimes.  
"Listen to your mother, kiddo." Damon looked up from the paper he was reading across from them (she'd never once thought she'd ever see Damon so domestic).  
Living with Damon was certainly strange – especially sharing a bed. In her world, she could barely stand to be in the same room as her ex's older brother who also happened to be her ex too (even if she didn't remember it). The subject of sex never came up though, strangely enough. Sure Damon was affectionate with her – light touches, forehead kisses, the occasional cuddling. Never much more though. She wasn’t exactly complaining, it wasn’t like she was all that eager to jump into bed with a man she didn’t remember loving let alone a version that didn’t know that. Despite all that . . . it was Damon she spent all of her time with. Well, and three-year-old Dominic too.   
It hadn't taken long to find out that the Damon and Elena of this strange world named their son Dominic Grayson Salvatore. She looked it up online – the most common meanings she found for Dominic was "of the Lord" or “belonging to God.” Where they'd gotten this name she wasn't sure – it wasn't familiar to her. Did this name mean something to her in the life she'd chosen to forget in her world? It did warm her heart that his middle name was Grayson.  
In the three weeks she'd been there, she hadn't ventured out much. She'd learned that the Elena of this world was taking online college courses instead of going to campus – she figured it was to be home with Dominic. She had to be careful of what she said and did in front of Damon and Dominic – she didn't want to give away her secret. Her parents hadn't been brought up since she'd been here (or Damon's, now that she thought about it) so she didn't bring it up either. Learning that Dominic's middle name was Grayson, though, made her wonder about them. Were they alive? If they were, was she on good terms with them? Why hadn't Damon brought them up? Although, he hadn't really brought many people up at all. The first few minutes after he'd brought Dominic to her on that first morning she'd been there he'd mentioned that she could call one of their 'many family members' to help her. He didn't say which ones, though, and no one had ever called or stopped by. They'd been in their own little bubble ever since. She didn't know if Stefan or Jeremy or Caroline or Bonnie or Alaric or anyone else (including those that had been enemies in her world) were in this place too.   
When Damon was at his own college courses or out, Dominic was her only company. Dominic was a wonder to her – such a beautiful and loving little child. He was a happy, energetic, curious child – running her ragged all over the Boarding House all day. (Hence why she missed her vampire speed). While he was asleep or playing or content with toys she tried to do the school work that was stacked up on this Elena's desk. She'd never been much of a procrastinator (even when she'd missed so many days in high school while her life was threatened) so the thought of being so far behind in this world baffled her. It didn't seem like her.  
Although, in her world she'd never had a toddler completely dependent on her.  
"Elena?"  
Elena blinked, shaking her head. She turned to look at Damon. "Huh?"   
"Honey, are you okay?"  
Elena frowned, looking around. She'd dropped a coffee mug in the sink and hadn't even realized it. She hadn't heard it shatter or felt the mug slip from her grasp. In fact, she didn't even remember going over to the sink or picking up the mug. “Um . . . I'm fine . . .” She cleared her throat.   
“Elena . . .”  
The worry in his voice struck her – in fact, it worried her more than the fact that she'd dropped the mug in the first place. She could feel something in the air, something between them. It was like a tangible feeling – not quite an awkwardness but something strange nonetheless. Though a different kind of awkward and strange than she shared with the Damon from her world since she didn't have her memories.  
Damon looked over to Dominic who was busy playing with his carrot sticks as if they were action figures. Elena followed his gaze – Dominic hadn't noticed her momentary slip. Damon wordlessly put down the paper, stood up and strode over to the sink next to Elena, and cleaned up the shards of ceramic from inside the sink.   
Elena was speechless. She didn't detect any anger or annoyance or disappointment from him. He didn't call her out for being clumsy or even engage in any light teasing or banter. He didn't even look at her at all.   
She could feel that worry still coming off of him in waves which worried her even more. From the way he was acting, this was a common occurrence in the Salvatore residence of this world. As if her (or rather, this world's version of her) dropping things was normal - if not worrisome. Sure, she'd always been a klutz in her world (even still as a vampire) but even if this world's Elena was a klutz too it didn't explain Damon's behavior.  
What the hell was wrong with her?

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

Damon, Caroline, and Alaric decided to keep the issue with Elena quiet for the present moment – even from Elena herself for the most part.  
They were currently on week three since their Elena had been switched with another version. Luckily they hadn't had any run-ins with anyone – that was the last thing they needed right now. Kai was still locked up – for the moment – but they still had to find a way to get Bonnie back. Actually, all was quiet in Mystic Falls right now (other than this thing with Elena) which honestly worried Damon. It wasn't often that they were allowed much more than a moment without some major crisis or villain threatening them.  
That being said, they still had to find a way to get their Elena back and send this one back where she belonged.  
Speaking of, said misplaced Elena was currently practically attached to his hip. She wouldn't go anywhere without him and wasn't really comfortable around anyone else. They hadn't gotten much information out of her – all they really knew about her was that she came from a world where there was no magic, she was married (to him, apparently, which made a small part of him want to jump for joy and have hope for him in this world), and she was a little (okay a lot) different than the Elena they were used to. This Elena was very quiet, very guarded. She knew that something was up but they hadn’t told her even a fraction of the whole story. Of course, they hadn't really given her much information about the supernatural elements of their world either so . . .  
“Damon?”   
They were in Ric's apartment where they'd sort of set up shop for the moment. The Boarding House was out of the question since they couldn't get into Mystic Falls and it was too risky to have Elena around people when she wouldn't know how to control the vampirism within her. Everyone else was out doing other things so it was up to Damon to babysit. “What's up, buttercup?”  
“I feel . . .” She cleared her throat, looking down and staring at the daylight ring on her hand and glanced down at her body. “This place is wrong.” She looked up, a frown gracing her beautiful lips. “This isn’t my home.” Damon opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head. A tear fell down her cheek. She took a few steps back and sat down on the kitchen chair behind her. “I don’t understand how it can be possible but . . . this isn’t my world, is it?”  
Damon let out a sigh, moving to sit down in the chair next to her. Even though this wasn’t his Elena . . . it was still hurt to see her in so much pain. He reached over and rested his hand on hers. She was still looking down.   
“You’re Damon – but you’re not my Damon. You’re not my husband.” She sniffled. “And I’m not me . . . I feel different.”  
“No . . . I’m not. And you’re right.” Damon cleared his throat. He turned his head to the side. She kept looking down at her body. “Are you okay?”  
“No I’m not.” Elena shook her head. “Because if this isn’t my world, and you’re not my husband, and I’m not me then that means . . .” She inhaled, her eyes wide and full of tears. Her free hand started moving down and she let out a deep breath. “I don’t believe in other worldly things . . . I don’t.” She lifted her other hand from under his and held it over her mouth.   
“Elena what is it?” Damon reached over but she moved back and away from him.  
She inhaled again. “D-Dominic . . .” She gasped, both of her arms wrapped around her middle.  
Damon’s entire body tensed. He backed up and stood up, the chair behind him clattering to the floor. His undead heart was pumping overtime – if he were alive, he’d be having a stroke or a heart attack right about now.   
Elena fell to her knees on the kitchen floor, sobbing, oblivious to Damon’s freak out just inches away.  
“D-Dominic?” Damon sputtered, holding on to his chest. Elena didn’t answer, her head now on the floor. “Who is Dominic – to you?!” A ringing sound fixed itself in his ears. Letting out a frustrated growl, he knelt down on the floor in front of her - this Elena that wasn’t his. “Elena, I need you to tell me. Elena!!!” He shouted over the ringing in his head. “Elena, please.” This came out softer as he stroked the hair on the side of her face.   
She sniffled, whimpering. She finally looked up, tears staining her face and makeup running. “He’s my son.” Damon’s heart dropped in his chest. “Dominic is my son, with you – I mean with my Damon.”   
“No . . .” Damon shook his head. “I . . .”  
“He’s not here. My baby isn’t here and I can’t…” Elena heaved.   
“You named him Dominic.” Damon found the name hard to swallow. “In your world you have a son with your husband Damon – and you named him Dominic.”  
Elena nodded. “He’s almost three.”  
“Well . . . shit . . .” Damon let out a deep breath.   
He helped Elena stand and find her chair. He then picked up the chair he knocked over and righted it before returning to his seat as well. The two of them were quiet for a while, both of them lost in memories. The only sounds that could be heard were Elena’s cries and the pounding of Damon’s heart.   
Damon cleared his throat, looking up. “It seems that some things never change, no matter what world it is.”  
Elena sniffled, also looking up. “What do you mean?  
“In this world, there was this girl named Cassandra.” Damon looked down. She knew that this world was stranger than his but was she really ready to hear about vampires and times past? Deciding to keep it simple, Damon continued on with his very painful story. “It was a long, long time ago – long before I met my version of you. I was in the war.”  
“Yes. My Damon was in the war too – it caused a rift with his father.” Elena nodded.  
“I guess Giuseppe Salvatore is a beast in any world then.” Damon noticed. “Anyway, Cassandra was a nurse on the front lines. She stitched up a cut on my shoulder and . . . and we fell in love.” His voice cracked. He let out a breath. “Nobody knows about this here. Not Stefan. My father never knew. I never even told her – Elena, I mean. My world’s version of her.” The woman in front of him nodded, showing she understood the gravity of what she was about to hear. “We started sneaking around – it was forbidden for us to be together but we didn’t care. We started talking about getting married when we were both out of the war. And then something happened.” Damon let out a deep breath.  
“She was pregnant.” Elena guessed.  
Damon nodded, suddenly feeling very tired. “We got married immediately. The plan was for her to ask for a transfer away from the danger. I didn’t have much of my service left – I would meet up with her shortly before the baby was born.”  
“What happened?” Elena asked. He noticed she had her hand on her stomach as if there was something in there – old habit, he supposed.   
“What happened a lot back then – she and the baby died during childbirth.” He steeled his jaw, refusing to allow pain from the past to affect him now. Elena gasped, whimpering slightly. “My service was extended but I was allowed to go visit her . . . and by the time I got to meet up with her, they were both already gone. I found a letter for me from her in her things. It was about ideas she had for names.” Fresh tears fell from Elena’s eyes. “She wanted to name our son Dominic because it was close to my name. And because it meant “of the Lord” – that he and I were gifts to her from God.” Damon stood up and turned around, leaning against and facing the sink. “After that I deserted the war. I didn’t have the stomach to fight when the war was the reason I hadn’t been there for her. My father hated me after that for deserting, making him look bad – did so until the day he died.”  
“I’m so sorry.” Elena whispered. By the look on her face it seemed her world’s version of how she named her son was very similar.  
Damon shrugged. “It made me the man I am today. I made my peace with that a long time ago. I just haven’t heard that name in a long time.”   
Elena was quiet. She didn’t say anything as she wiped tears from her eyes.  
He turned around again. “I’m going to get you back to your son – I promise you that. I don’t know why this happened but I will figure it out. We think that our Elena is in your world while you are here – if that is so then I can guarantee that she is doing everything she can to take care of your son and find her own way to get you back to him. I know her just like your Damon knows you.” Elena nodded. “I know that it hurts being away from them – your husband and your son. I know it sure hurts not having my Elena here. But we’ll get this fixed, okay? We’ll make it right. You just have to trust me.”

to be continued . . .


End file.
